Game Over
by silkycatastrophe
Summary: The Game Begins: Austin is a grown man married to the love of his life, Ally. They have a family, and everything is perfect. Except that Ally has been diagnosed with leukemia. Austin begins to tell his children the story of how they met, and that sometimes love is all that matters. Watch as Austin battles the clock until the game called life is over.
1. Chapter 1

**Note:** This story is told in the perspective of Austin and Ally's oldest child unless otherwise indicated. This excludes whenever Austin and/or Ally is telling the story of how they met. Also the story of how the couple met has been modified. They have both become famous though.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Austin and Ally or anything else you may recognize

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**Chapter 1**: Life is Unfair

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"Can you tell me a story Alan?" 4 year old Maddie asked as Alan tucked her into bed. The magic of the night was receding and it was bed time. Things had been rough lately. Since their mother had been diagnosed, his father hadn't been the same. A yawn escaped Maddie's mouth, and the grip holding her stuffed bunny grew tighter under her arm. The velvet ears flopped onto the pillow.

Alan was much older than Maddie. He sat down next to her on the bed. The glow in the dark stars shone down on them, Alan turned on the night light beside her bed.

"Really? Are you sure you can handle one of my stories? You look really tired", he teased, tickling her through the comforter. Maddie started laughing and squirming around within her bed. The pink comforter started wrinkling.

"I am not tired!" she crossed her arms trying to give him a serious look. He let out a chuckle. Her persistence was something they had both inherited from their parents. Fact is you just couldn't be a Moon without being completely stubborn.

"What kind of story do you want to hear?" he asked. Alan and Maddie had a very close relationship. They always have. Since the day Maddie was born they had a close bond. He stood back up to close the curtain. The sun was still setting on the horizon. He smiled as the sun bid a final glow on the ocean before completely disappearing into the water. The orange, red, yellow and purple sky quickly transformed to a dark blue colour. He turned back to Maddie who had eager eyes.

Maddie followed Alan around like a puppy when she was younger. In her eyes, he was a super hero and she needed to learn all of his tricks so she could be his sidekick. She looked at him like he was a king, and he treated her like a princess. Since his parents had been more and more distracted, Alan devoted his attention to Maddie. She needed it.

"I don't know. You choose!" she started, "Alan, I love your stories. They are all good." She was quickly cut off by the sound of the phone ringing. Alan could hear the muffled sounds of his father scurrying around beneath them. A loud bang revealed the sound of the dinner dishes falling to the floor. The phone soon stopped ringing.

"Hello", their father said into the phone. It was a very quiet voice coming from down the stairs. Maddie jumped out of bed and sat down near the top of the stairs.

"Maddie!" Alan hissed. She didn't listen, she only continued to listen to the conversation their father was having.

"What did the doctor say?"

"How much more radiation will she need?"

Alan quickly ran to his sister trying to forget the words he just heard. He hated the word radiation, it sounded toxic and deadly.

His father must have heard their commotion because he peered around the corner to see wide eyed Maddie staring at him with wet eyes. He sighed and went back to his phone call.

"And then she can come home?"

"No I'll be there."

"No! She needs me there. I need to be there at her side", Austin hissed into the phone. Alan still wasn't sure what his father was talking about. That was the problem with telephone conversations, you could only hear on side of the conversation.

"Okay thanks Lucy. I'll see you tomorrow", he whispered in the distance. Maddie stood up and walked back to her room. She was dressed in her pink night gown and her blonde hair was in perfect little ringlets lining her back. Her normally enthusiastic mood was deeply affected by his father's words. Her back was now slouched and her stuffed bunny hung loosely in her hand. She stumbled back to her room where Alan quickly followed.

"Alan", Maddie started as she made her way back to her bed, "What if mom never gets better. Then what?"

He sighed and bit his lip. He pulled the covers up over her body, unsure of what to say.

"Maddie, you can't think like that." He told her. "She will get better. I know it", he said in a quiet whisper barely audible to anyone.

He heard the phone slam down on the table in the distance. Soon he heard loud footsteps climb the stairs. It sounded like someone with a heavy burden.

"Hey sweetie", Austin greeted his daughter. He looked sleep deprived and in desperate need of some good news. His father knew that they had both heard some of the conversation.

"How's mom?" Alan asked quietly.

"Her sparkle is fading", that was their code for when things were getting worse with his mother. Alan was taking the news the worst of both himself and Maddie. Alan had a close bond with his mother.  
Alan nodded slowly. His father sat down at the end of Maddie's bed and Alan sat down leaning against the wall next to his sister's bed. Tears threatened to burn his eyes. He couldn't imagine losing his mother. That was something he never wanted to deal with.

"Did Aunt Lucy say if anything had changed?"

"Your mom's getting her final radiation tomorrow. They are going to watch it for a while to see if it helps. She will be home tomorrow night."

"Are you going to go see her before that?"

"I'm going to spend the day at the hospital tomorrow, yes."

"Can I come daddy?"

"No sweetie, there are a lot of germs and viruses that the hospital, you'll be safer here. Plus, you would just get bored at the hospital with me all day."

"Yah and you have school tomorrow", Alan pitched in.

"Oh", Maddie finally said.

"And you'll see mom tomorrow night anyways."

"I really miss Mommy," Maddie said as she rubbed her eye.

"Me too kiddo, me too."

"Daddy", Maddie started. She hadn't fully understood what all this meant with their mother. "Can you tell me a story?" Alan looked up at Maddie.

"I thought you wanted me to tell you a story" he whined. He loved telling his sister stories.

"I think you need a break from storytelling", Maddie stated.

Their father forced a smile watching two of his children bond. This was one of his greatest joys he would be losing along with his beautiful wife.

Maddie turned back to her father.

"Please."

"Why not?" He moved closer to his daughter so that they were sitting side by side against the back board of the bed. "What kind of story do you want to hear?"

"A love story", she said simply. "Bridget says those are the best." Bridget was Dez and Trish's daughter who were close family friends. She was 15 years old, but Maddie still looked up to her.

"Okay, I think I have a good one." A smile spread across his face. It was contagious because it was the first real smile he has shed in a while, a smile only his wife and children could give. Alan smiled too.

"So, where do I start?" his father looked up grinning and thinking.

"At the beginning", Maddie suggested. His father moved around the bed trying to find a more comfortable position. He smiled at his daughter's comment. Her wit was just like her mothers.

"Okay… So… There was a boy, his ego was bigger than his heart. But he soon learned that nothing can last forever…

_He stood before the large trophy cabinet. The glass provided a glare, but he could barely make out the outline of his figure against the glass. _

_Throughout the trophy shelf were pictures of students, plaques, small and large trophies._

_His eyes finally landed on one specific picture. There was a group of senior basketball players lined up in a row. Each of them held a basketball underneath their arms. At the bottom was a small sign. "Senior Boys Basketball Champions 1984." His father stood front and center. As the captain of the team, he brought them to state champions and he took his role very seriously. It was just another reminder of the legacy he has to live up to._

_He traced his fingers along the outline on the glass outside of the picture and closed his eyes. It seemed that his father followed him everywhere._

_"Austin!" someone shouted from behind him. He turned around on his heels to face his red headed best friend. "I've been looking for you! Coach posted the new game schedule in the gym." Austin nodded. "Also, I was pushing around the bin of basketballs earlier, and then I saw this drop dead beautiful girl. She was beautiful. Her long curly locks requested me to approach them and brush them. But I resisted. Anyways, I got so caught up in the girl; I didn't notice the ball bin rolling away down the hall and outside. I have spent the last 3 hours looking for it. Long story short, the coach needs to order new basket balls all of the old ones are currently at the bottom of the pond." Austin laughed lightly at his friend's story._

_"Dez, where would I be without you?" he asked._

_"Probably at the bottom of the pond along with the 32 basket balls", Dez responded._

_"Dez, you know… Basketballs float", he told him. Dez shrugged, letting his comment pass._

_Dez's eye position changed from him to behind him. Dez's expression became bored as he released a sigh. Immediately Austin turned his head to follow his gaze._

_Three of their basketball teammates were marching towards the two boys; Dallas, Ethan and Elliot. They were the three most popular guys in their grade. Austin and Dez were lucky enough to be in their group, but Dez didn't take any of their crap._

_"Hey boys", Dallas said as they met up together in the hallway. _

_"What's up?" Austin replied. Dez just nodded acknowledging them._

_"We were going to go back to Old Man Carter's later and take some of the eggs from his chicken coop. We are going to egg his chicken coop. Do you want to come?"_

_"You're kidding right?" Dez asked with his mouth hanging open. "That's illegal, you could get arrested."_

_"Only if you get caught, which we won't", replied Elliot._

_"You're all a bunch of idiots", Dez shook his head disapprovingly. "I need to go do some work for Mr. Holland."_

_"Whatever. What about you Austin?"_

_Dez looked at Austin with a look of knowing. Dez is the more mature one of them. He understood that they don't need these three in order to withstand high school and that whenever they do go with them they both end up taking the hit and get grounded. _

_"I need to go work for Mr. Holland too. We have an English assignment due tomorrow and I haven't started yet", Austin lied easily. Dez nodded his head with a smile on his face knowing that Austin made the right decision. _

_"Well then you better get cracking, next time, okay?" Dallas requested. _

_"Maybe", Austin replied back, hoping that there won't be a next time. The three other boys continued down the hall way and out to the cafeteria. _

_"Well, let's get cracking, we have an assignment to do", Dez joked. Austin starts laughing at his attempted to continue with his lie. _

_"Shut up."_

_"No, it was a great excuse."_

_"I'm done with those guys."_

_"I'm thrilled."_

_"You should be. I can't even count how many times I've been grounded for going to their parties, and excursions. Never again, my friend, never again."_

_"Ah, so we've seen the light."_

_"It's a miracle isn't it?"_

_"Miraculous it is", Dez replies as they walk to the gymnasium to practice. _

"It doesn't sound like he has a big ego", Alan states. "It sounds like he is good at making proper decisions and that he has to live up to his father's high expectations."

"Well this is just the beginning, he was in with the wrong crowd and finally realizes that he is making a huge mistake and it's affecting the way he acts."

"Daddy, where is the love? You said a love story. There isn't any love yet", Maddie protests while hugging the bunny.

Alan's fathers arm around his daughter's shoulder tightens as he laughs.

"It's coming. You need to understand what kind of person Austin is first. Okay?"

"Okay."

"So where was I?"

Maddie is about to speak, when she is interrupted by the phone ringing once again. Everyone freezes for a second, as if by instinct. Alan has learned that nothing good ever comes from a phone call. Everyone has news, and it is usually never good.

His father gets up to fetch the phone.

"We will finish the story later, okay?"

No one nods, they just accept the truth. That is the only thing they can do.

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_I think reviews are splendid._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Fairy Tales

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"And then she said sometimes fairy tales happen in real life. Maybe mom will get a fairy tale!" Maddie said excitedly. She skipped over the cracks in the sidewalk. Alan carried the burden of walking home his little sister from school. Normally it's wasn't a burden, but today it was. After a long day at school he wouldn't risk any more false senses of hope.

"Maddie…" Alan sighed.

"And then Mom and Dad can live happily ever after." She looked so happy. But he couldn't take all the pressure of a school day and the issues they have been having at home.

"Maddie, stop –"

"Bridget says –"

"Maddie, you need to understand that not everything can be a fairy tale", Alan nearly shouted. She froze, not expecting Alan's outburst. He sighed loudly.

"But, Bridget says-

"Maddie! Fairy tales don't happen in real life! Okay. There will never be a prince, or a princess. Mom isn't going to get her happy ending. And not everything has a happy ending. Stop listening to what Bridget says, she is just putting ideas into your head." He opened the front door of the house about to run up to his room and bury himself in his music, but was stopped by a new scene in front of him.

"A D- Connor? Really? That is the worst one yet. Do you want to tell me what you were thinking!?"

Connor was about to respond, he even opened his mouth. "But you weren't thinking, were you?" Connor was Alan's younger brother. He was two years younger than Alan and going through a new phase. There was a white piece of paper in his father's hand. He assumed to be his latest in a long line of bad grades.

"Why do you even care Dad? I do a lot of things, but the only things you notice are the ones I completely mess up. Why is that?" Connor shouted back.

"What is your mother going to say when she sees this?"

"You would never let that happen, because you can't stand to see her look sad, and you don't spend any time caring about Alan, who by the way punched someone today at school, Maddie, who doesn't know the difference between real life and fairy tales, or me." All during Connor's speech, Austin looked around at his children, realizing how much he had royally messed up. With that Connor stormed outside through the back door with his skateboard.

Alan tried to glare at Connor for ratting on him, but it was too late he is already gone.

Maddie rushed into the kitchen and out the back door looking as if she was going to cry.

Their father collapsed onto the couch and ran his hands through his hair.

For the first time ever he noticed how their family was falling apart.

There had always been hope. They had a rule, as long as they were together, things could never fall apart. But the thread holding their family together was quickly becoming detached.

Alan wanted to be able to sit down with his father to encourage him to keep going. But he couldn't even tell himself that.

Alan knew Connor was only acting out because he was upset. This was his way of showing everyone how he was dealing with everything.

Alan wanted to push pass his dad and disappear into his room forever, but he knew that his father needed him. Alan sat down on the couch next to his dad.

"I'm not that bad of a father, am I?" Austin asks his eldest son without looking up.

"You're the best dad in the world! You've always been faithful to mom, you've never looked at another women, you've raised some pretty great kids if I do say so myself, you've gone through a lot dad. This is hard for all of us."

"I don't know what to do though", Austin admitted.

"It's a tough situation to be in."

"And you Alan? You would never hurt anyone let alone punch someone, what happened? What set you off?" Austin was looking at his son with an concerned look on his face.

Alan sighed, knowing that he owed his father an explanation.

"It was during lunch, and one of the guys who sit at the table next to ours in the cafeteria started talking about some of the news they heard about mom. It's all over in the internet. Anyways, he was talking really loudly, trying to get my attention, he knew I was there…

_"Alan, ignore him, he is just being an idiot", one of his best friends Reilly said to him. She put an arm casually over his shoulder to comfort him. All of Alan's friends were watching closing for his reaction. The cafeteria table was circular, so they were all facing him. Reilly looked the most concerned. Her face was close to Alan's; he tried to focus on her heart beat which he could feel through her arm huddle. _

_Jeff the boy who was aggravating him talked even louder. _

_"Ally Dawson was so hot when she was younger. I mean she was still hot until she started getting chemo, but that's fine, she'll be dead soon enough so it won't be a problem anymore", Jeff said with a loud hollering laugh. _

_Alan was losing it, his hands were both clenched in fists and he hated that people were talking about his mother and his family like that. He stood up immediately. _

_Reilly tried to hold him down, but his other friends knew that he needed to let his negative energy out of his system. They also wanted to see Jeff get pounded by Alan. _

_"I mean, I bet her husband -_

_"Shut the fuck up Jeff", he roared as he walked behind him. He heard some small gaps from his friend's table. They had never heard him swear like that before. _

_"Oh what's up Alan?"_

_"Don't talk to me", he hissed._

_"How's your mom doing?" Jeff replied with a snide grin on his face. Alan's face was blazing red from anger. _

_"I said shut up. Don't talk about my family ever again!" And with that, he threw a punch, straight into his face, hitting the side of his nose and cheek hard. _

_Alan's best friend Nate came next to him and led him out of the cafeteria. The entire hall was staring at him with shocked expressions. Everyone knew that Jeff deserved the blow, he was always making smart comments and could afford a hit to the head every once and a while._

_"Thanks for getting me out of there", Alan said sincerely to Nate holding cradling his fist in his other hand._

_"Hey no problem, you looked like you needed to cool down."_

_"I wouldn't have hesitated to throw another one at him."_

_"That jackass deserved it. That was impressive man; you sure made an impression on all those people out there. No one's going to mess with you anymore. And besides, girls like a bad boy."_

_"I only care about one girl", Alan admitted._

_"I don't think this will change anything. I think she is worried about you, that's all. Oh look, here she comes now. I'm going to go back in for a bit, let me know if you need anything."_

_Alan nodded silently thanking Nate again._

_"Hey Alan, how are you doing?" Reilly asked. Her blonde hair was pulled into a neat pony tail. She looked concerned for him. _

_"I feel a little better now", Alan admitted sheepishly. _

_"Hey don't be embarrassed", Reilly put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manor, "He's a jerk and that was pretty bad ass."_

_"It was?"_

_"Oh for sure. Honestly, I was just waiting for the moment when you were just going to crack."_

_Alan nodded. _

_"Do you want to go somewhere? To talk, to eat? Just us? You can cool down", Reilly offered. _

_"Yes", Alan replied without hesitation. Feeling bold, he took Reilly's hand and she let him hold her hand. They walked down the hall hand in hand._

Alan didn't tell his dad about the 'Reilly' part, but he didn't leave out any details about the punching.

"Way to go Alan!" Austin cheered his son.

"What?"

"That is so unlike you. I'm proud, you stood up for your mom, and you aren't ashamed to admit it. Not every guy would do the same thing as you."

"So you aren't mad?"

"No way! When Connor said you punched someone, I immediately thought the worst. You joined a gang or something and started a riff-off in the streets."

Alan laughed.

"I can assure you that I will never join a gang."

"Well that makes me feel betting knowing that at least one of my sons won't end up in a gang."

"Connor?"

"The only other son", Austin confirmed.

"I don't think you have to worry about him either. He's just a little bit lost. You know, middle child syndrome and all."

"You think so?"

"Yah", Alan replied with a nod.

"So, what do we do about the other two?"

"I'll go find Connor. And you go find Maddie."

"Are you sure? Because Connor -"

"Trust me; this night will end a million times better if I go to get Connor."

"Thanks Alan. You have always been the responsible, reasonable one through all of this."

Appreciating the compliment, Alan smiled and walked out the garage door to get his bike. He would use it to find his brother.

Half an hour later Alan found Connor at the Skateboarding Park alone. He was just boarding around doing tricks. Probably distracting himself.

When Connor noticed Alan, he stopped completely.

Alan sat down on the half pipe next to his brother where they sat in silence.

Connor finally broke the silence.

"You and mom were always so close, and same with Maddie and dad, but who do I have?"

Alan had no idea his brother felt this way, he could understand where his brother was coming from though. From his perspective it made sense.

"You have all of us."

"No, I don't. Everyone just ignores me. It's like if you guys do it long enough, I'll just disappear."

"You're wrong. We do care, I think it's partly you"-

"But"-

"Before you say anything, let me explain. You push us away. We never know if you just want privacy, or you just want to talk. But you're not very good at sharing your feelings so you're hard to figure out. So yes, you have all of us, you just don't realize it."

"I do?"

"Of course."

"When I avoid you, it's because I'm jealous of you."

"You're jealous of me?" Alan asked shocked.

"Yes! You have the grades, the smarts, the friends, the girls, you're pretty good at sports, and girls seem to find you attractive too. Mom adores you. All I ever hear is, why can't you be just like Alan, he is such a good kid. You should be more like him."

"I've never heard her say that", Alan replied.

"Well that's what it feels like, sounds like. I've never actually heard her say it before either. But I can read in between the lines perfectly fine. You have everything, and what do I have going for me? A skateboard and this weird blond hair?"

Alan was surprised at Connor's view of the world, it seemed completely twisted from Alan's perspective.

"I've always been jealous of you! Your bold, you are amazing at skateboarding, the best I've ever seen, I've heard girls talk about you too. You have this retro bad boy thing going for you. Girls like that, as long as you don't push it too far. I say it's better to have a few really close good friends, than a ton of O.K. friends who you don't know that well. I think you'd be surprised. And as for your 'smarts' if you tried harder, you would get better grades. You're a smart guy, you just don't know how to apply yourself."

Alan's fifteen year old brother looked surprised to hear about the way Alan viewed Connor's life.

"It's kind of strange, I guess. I didn't even realize that those were my assets."

"Did you just say assets?" Alan asked surprised.

Connor laughed. "I guess I did."

"That was awesome when you punched Jeff today though. I swear if you weren't going to do it, I was", Connor said changing the subject.

"You saw that?" Alan asked.

"Yes! And I'm glad I did, that was pure gold. He sure knows better now."

"I just couldn't believe what he said about mom. Who says something like that to someone?"

"Apparently Jeff."

Alan laughed, but for a different reason.

"Why are you laughing at that?" Connor asked giving him a strange look.

"I just realized that we are bonding for the first time ever."

"Oh yah, that is weird", Connor said with a laugh.

"You know what?"

"What?" Connor asked sceptically.

"When I get my car, I'll bring you to this huge party my friends host every year. Reilly has a cousin your age who is always there. I think you will like her."

"Oh yah? What is she like?"

"She has like this strawberry blonde hair, she's a pretty girl, she has been in this band as the lead singer for just over a year. They are actually really good."

"A band? I don't know man, that comes with a lot of baggage."

"Well she is probably worth it if you ask me."

"I'm excited now", he admitted. "She doesn't have a boyfriend?"

"She says she is waiting for just the right guy."

"And you think that's me?"

"Oh sure – "

His cell phone ringing cut him off. He looked at the caller ID.

_DAD (***) – 111 – 1111 _

"It's dad. I should answer", Alan told his brother raising the cell phone to his face.

"Hey dad, I found Connor, we will be him in about an hour."

"Do you think you can make it home sooner?"

"Maybe, why?"

"It's Maddie."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't find her."

_Maybe review? That'd be cool._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: She's Gone

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"Where the hell would she go?" Connor asked enraged.

"Watch your mouth", Austin warned his son. Instead of waiting for his son's to come home, Austin drove to come get them, at the skate park. It was late in the afternoon and the time was about 5:00.

"Where have you all checked?" Alan asked his father but still looked at Connor. Connor looked frightened for his little sister. There were so many different things that could go wrong with a little girl alone in a city, especially with night on its way.

"I checked the park, the backyard, all through the house in case she came back, the treehouse, I called Dez and Trish to see if she went there. They are looking around with Bridget."

"Have you told mom?"

"And tell her what? That I lost our only daughter? Hi Honey, how are you doing? Sorry, I said I was going to stop by, but I can't because I lost our daughter." Their father spoke in a sarcastic tone, and his voice cracked as he mentioned Maddie's name.

"What if Maddie went there?"

"Maybe you should stop by and one of us stays at the hospital for a while. That way one of us is checking, but others are still looking in case she's not. I don't think mom will be as suspicious that way", Alan offered.

"Okay, who stays?"

"I'll stay with mom", Connor said right away.

"Are you sure?" Austin asked.

"Yah, I am. Besides, I haven't seen mom in a few days, so it will be nice to see her."

"Okay. So Alan, you come with me, and we'll look for your sister around the town. Connor, you text us right away. Whether it's because she is there, or not. You text me."

"Of course." Austin nodded but could keep focused, his sons noticed his distraction.

"Dad, it'll be fine. We'll find her", Alan assured.

"I know. I'm just worried. She's my little girl and she's probably scared to death, and hungry. What if something happened?"

"We just have to hope for the best I guess", Connor said facing the window watching the houses pass by one by one.

Austin drove up to the hospital. He felt like even time he can there, it always felt different. Today, it felt like a giant labyrinth. It was consuming his family, leaving him unsure of where they go, and how to deal with everything. It was a scary thought because it was so unknown and that is what scared him the most. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring, heck; he didn't even know what would happen in the next five minutes. But somehow he knew that whatever was holding his life by a thread was holding tight because there was nothing that could destroy his family. That was one thing he would never let happen.

"Okay, and if we can't find her, we call the police okay? Right away, I don't care what mom thinks, that is what she will want and nothing else matters because it is what I want too. I just want to find my little girl."

"We will find her. I'll talk to you in a few minutes. Okay? See you later tonight with Maddie."

Austin nodded, and Alan switched seats with his father. Alan knew that his father was in no position to drive and they would be safer this way. Connor got out of the car and walked into the hospital without turning around to see his brother drive off. Connor was scared too. He was scared of what his mother might say, scared of her reaction, scared that she was in pain and scared that she was dying.

Connor loved his mom. As much as he didn't want to admit it or say it out loud at school, he loved her so much, and she was the best mom in the world. She was kind, considerate, she always put her children first, she made the best hot cocoa and she always knew when someone was sad. When Connor found out that his mother, out of all people contracted cancer, he was sure it was the devil's work. His mother was a saint, and she did not deserve this. She was the last person who deserved this, and it wasn't fair. He passed through the long hallways in the hospital. This was the largest hospital in Florida and it seemed that the hallways went on forever. Connor knew exactly which room his mother was in, and unless the doctors had her moved today, she would surely be in that room.

Connor didn't pray often, in fact, before his mom got sick he wasn't even sure if he believed in anything like that. But praying helped. He thought that if he prayed a lot, then maybe his mom would get better. And then he started believing in places like heaven; he knew his mom would be welcomed there pleasantly and with open arms. Connor's grandmother would be waiting there happily for her arrival, but he didn't want to think about that, because he would never go down without a fight. He never tried to do anything that would hurt their family, sometimes it would just happen. He would get angry with someone at school and start a fight, but it was just because everything in his life was so built up that sometimes it came crashing down all at once. He didn't try to get bad grades either, they just happened. He would stay up all night trying to figure out a cure for his mother's disease that he would forget to study for his tests. He hated to disappoint his parents, but he was honestly just trying to help. Not to be a pain in the ass. Everything just seemed to work out that way.

Connor arrived in front of his mother's overnight room and there were two nurses and a doctor standing outside of the room. One had a clip board in hand and the others were talking. They all stopped talking when Connor stopped next to them.

"You're mom's awake", one of the nurses said.

"How's she doing?"

"She is doing a lot better than before; she's even gaining some weight. Most women don't want to hear that, but in her case, every ounce counts."

"That's great to hear. Will she be able to come home soon?"

"There is talk about letting her leave in two days, they just wanted to extend the time so they could watch closely to see if symptoms return."

"We really appreciate everything you've been able to do for us. Thanks so much for helping my mom."

"You're welcome", the Doctor replied with a genuine smiled. He looked surprised at the conversation he was having with a 15 year old boy.

Connor nodded and opened the door quietly before walking into the room.

The first thing he noticed was his mother's bed. She was laying on top reading a book. She had her brown hair pulled into a pony tail and the hospital sheets covering her entire body. Next to her bed was a tray with some food that looked like it hadn't been touched in an hour. His mother was wearing her reading glasses, and she looked tired, but not as tired as the last time he saw her.

"Hey mom", Connor said quietly.

"Connor?" His mother replied removing her glasses and looking up from her book. A smile broke across her face and she set the book down. "What a pleasant surprise."

"It's so nice to see you again", Connor admitted. He walked up to his mother and kissed her on the forehead. Connor briefly looked around the room for Maddie, but didn't see a trace of her visitation. She wasn't there. The disappointment was overwhelming.

Connor felt himself start to cry. He never cried.

"Oh honey what's wrong? Come here", his mother motioned to the bed. There was space next to her, and she moved over to make even more room for her son on the bed . Connor moved next to his mother and she held his hands in hers. They were surprisingly warm.

"Tell me what's wrong", she cooed. "I'll make it all better."

"That's just it, I don' think you can."

"What do you mean? I'm Ally Moon, I can do anything!" His mother replied boldly trying to get a smile out of her son.

"It's Maddie…" "

Maddie?"

"Yah."

"Well what's wrong? She was fine a few minutes ago."

"Maddie ran a – wait what? What do you mean a few minutes ago?"

"She just left a few minutes before you got here to go to the bathroom. She'll be back in a few minutes." Connor started crying harder. Ally moved her arm and wrapped it around his head. He cried into her arm as she held his head in a motherly way.

"Shh", she hushed. "Don't cry, everything is fine."

And then Maddie walked into the room. She had a cute smile on her face, acting like nothing was wrong. She held the velveteen bunny in her hands. It swayed with her hands. Connor rushed to Maddie. He scooped her up in his hands and swung her around. He kissed her on the forehead and held her tightly before setting her down. He never let go of her empty hand.

"Hi Connor!" Maddie said sweetly.

"It's so nice to hear your voice", Connor admitted.

"Thanks." Connor laughed at Maddie's ability to take a compliment.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I wanted to see Mommy", she said a matter-of-factly.

"You should have told us. We would have brought you."

"You looked busy", she shrugged.

Connor turned to his mother who wore a smile that said, 'aww, my children love each other, so cute.

"You two are adorable. Now someone tell me what's going on", she said crossing her arms in front of her. Connor coughed uncomfortably.

"Who said there is anything that's wrong?" Ally raised her eye brows as if to ask _really? We're playing that game. _

"Daddy and Connor had a fight", Maddie said on behalf of her brother.

"I need to call dad, but I'll be right back and I will explain everything."

Ally sighed. "Sure. Maddie, why don't you tell me about your day?"

Twenty minutes later Austin and Alan burst through the hospital room door. They look as if they had been running a marathon. Austin lifted his daughter into the air and held her in his arms as if he didn't believe she was real. It was comforting having her in his hands. He kissed her forehead. "Thank god, you are okay. I don't know what I would have done with myself otherwise."

"Can someone please explain to me what is going on?" Ally asked. She felt frightened by her family's actions. Not that they were hugging, because she loved that they were embracing each other, but because they were acting like they just witnessed a murder; scared and scarred.

"You didn't tell her", Austin asked Connor.

"I thought I should wait until we were all here", he defended.

"Well?" Ally asked feeling aggravated. Austin sat down with Maddie on his lap in the chair next to Ally's hospital bed. He braced himself for scolding.

"As a family, we had a little disagreement this afternoon. Connor went to the skate park and Maddie ran to the backyard. I thought she would still be there after Alan and I had our chat. So Alan went after Connor and I went to get Maddie, but she was gone. She ran away, and we've spent the past hour driving around town looking for her. We called Dez and Trish and they were looking too. She came here, and I sent Connor to come check. Then he found her here and now we are all safe", Austin finished on a high note, trying to ease the anger he was sure all was about to release.

Ally looked surprised, and she watched Maddie who had a grin on her face.

"Maddie? You ran away?" "

No."

"Then what did you do?"

"I came to see you", she said with her signature smile. Austin's arms held her strongly.

"Maddie… you can't just run away. You need to have someone come with you. There are a lot of things that could have gone badly. Okay? From now on you tell people when you are leaving and someone will come with you. Do you understand?" Maddie nodded. "Good. Now what was this disagreement about?"

"It doesn't really matter", Austin said not wanting to upset his wife anymore.

"No it matters, I'll tell you", said Connor speaking up for the first time since he father arrived. He sat down leaning against the wall. "I got my test back in Math."

"Okay, how did you do?"

"I got a 54", he said wincing.

"Connor, what happened?" Ally said sitting up straighter so she could she her sons face.

"I was up late the night before and I forgot to study. I'm sorry." Ally sighed.

"It's alright. As long as you don't make it a habit. Next time you study harder. I understand that sometimes you just have a bad day. You can't always get good grades. And that's fine. But as long as you tried your best then that's all that matters. And if you need any extra help then you go to your teacher and you ask." Connor nodded.

"Okay."

"That's it? No grounding?" Austin asked surprised.

"Austin, you of all people should know that sometimes it's really hard to get good grades."

"Dad? You struggled with school too?"

"Ugh. Don't remind me, high school was a nightmare", Austin replied rolling his eyes.

"Really?" Connor asked amused.

"Yes. You're mom doesn't even know the start of it. School came easy to her, but me? No way."

"So Alan got his smarts from Mom and I inherited Dad's smarts?" Connor asked. Both parents laughed.

"Honey, just because you did poorly on one test doesn't mean you aren't smart. Also just because your Dad struggled with school doesn't mean he wasn't smart. School just didn't come easy to him."

"Oh. So that means that there is still a chance for me to become a super genius."

"Absolutely. But you have to put the work into it."

"Okay."

"I'm so happy you all came though. I've really missed all of you."

"Are you coming home tomorrow?" Alan asked. He was sitting on a chair that he pulled up next to the bed.

"I think so. This place is really boring. I've run out of books to read too."

"Good, because we have an entire library for you to read at home. We really want you home.

* * *

Sorry for that wait. Here's another chapter. Hope you liked it. Review maybe?

Next time on GAME OVER Austin and Ally tell the story of how they met. (it's kind of cute) ;)


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